New Work. British Invasion, Clothing Mutation and something really BIG!!!

Here are a few newer finished pieces that I have done on commission as well as some other stuff. Not a lot of great insights about these, and I guess that's the point of a commission most of the time. I've learned to listen to what the customer wants or else risk drawing the commission over and over and over again.

This is a new design for Slaughter Beach Co. "Speak no Evil, See no Evil, Hear no Evil". SB offers an array of brutal clothing from t-shirts to underpants for the undead fiend in your life who's hell on earth to shop for.

This will be used for a split record for the British speed/filth metal group River Freshly and Nebukadnezza. Perhaps it will end up of a t-shirt, too. They are great dudes as long as you have an ocean's worth of safe distance between yourself and them. The drawing may also be used for a tour poster with River Freshly and fellow British thrashers, Mutant. Catch them when they crash through your grotty town, SAAAFE!!!

Pravus is another clothing company to keep an eye on, lest they hold your Mother for ransom or make you walk the plank. I did this devious design for them a while ago but it's a killer. It would have been even more of a killer if I had spelled the logo correctly but that is all the more reason to be on the lookout. Comb the ocean horizon for the black sails to keep clear of the ghost ship PRAVUS.

If you check out the rats in these two pictures you may note that they are pretty damn similar. As the tattoo artist Bill Stevenson said just before he tattooed "WILL POWER" under my right arm, "If you're not cheating you're working too hard!"

Will British metal health specialists Hospital of Death be involved in the retooling of the American Health Care system? Maybe they should be. Maybe Micheal Moore should have used these dudes to score his 2007 movie "Sicko." Maybe, the chainsaw nurse lady in the following picture is a really nice person just about to cut down a stack of lumber to heat an orphanage.

Hell, while I'm at it here are some drawings that I've needed to get out of my computer. This is the first drawing I sent to the band Ramming Speed. Yeah, sure, it's a little more than a year old, but I got my copy of the record almost exactly a year ago, so it's topical, in a way... Anyway, I saw them last year in Raleigh, North Carolina with Battle Master and Ugly Law. Good times.

Those dudes didn't dig this drawing and asked my to try another one. It was there loss...If you want to see the real Ramming Speed cover get the album. It's great, and one of my favorite album covers I've ever done, but this isn't what they used.

I did this drawing below for a band that I won't name because they were kind of dicks. I even talked to them at a show and asked them if they thought they would use the drawing, and still don't know if they will or not. LIMBO CITY! GAAAAAAHH!!! I hope they don't end up using it so I can send it on to another group. A good group like Insect Warfare, Triac, Magrudergrind, Crom, Mammoth Grinder, Suzukiton, The Endless Blockade, Infernal Stronghold, Trasher, Akris, Three Faces of Eve, Woe, Ugly Law, Street Pizza, Juice Tyme!, Weekend Nachos, Heathens, Parasytic, Deathammer, Drugs of Faith, Withered or Antietam. I really like this one... The whole situation reminds me of any given strip from the Brian Walsby book, "MANCHILD."

Last but not least I have gotten some exclusive photos of the newest member of my family taken by a cut throat ninja paparazzi. This is my son who will hopefully be may greatest work of art and not just the bum asking me for an advance of his allowance.

"It Came From the Other Sketch Book..."

Why can't I remember the simple things? Like when my wife calls me in the middle of the day to asks me to pull out some butter for her so she can make some cookies with it when she get home. WHY OH WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER TO DO IT??? I want to be good and remember I just don't always follow through because I terribly distracted. Sometimes I think I'd be much happier if I were better at memory than art.

On top of all the trillions of cute animal drawings that I've been diverting brain power to over the past few years, I have started up a new sketch book that has me working in a different direction. I'm working on a more traditional comic book style of drawing that's proving to be much more challenging than my happy rabbit/lizard-on-surf-board fair. Unless you're a supreme master artist super star (which is annoying), a big mouth drooling numbskull (which is common), or too busy baking cookies with cold butter (all my fault) no one would claim that drawing the human figure comes easy. Consequently my sketch book look much more like an honest actual SKETCH BOOK with more half finished drawings and mistakes inside of it then cool drawings to show off. My wife would be most impressed if I could remember where I left my shoes last night.

Can you name all the characters?

The new sketch book is also much bigger than one old >>>> by ????I was using in the past. One of the many cool advantadges that comes along with a bigger sketch book is that I now have much more room for stickers. I could probably have more room to take notes about things I need to remember for the sake of OTHER REAL PEOPLE if I hadn't already forgotten them in my scrambled birdbrain. One of the many joys I have found in keeping a sketch book is that it employs the Obsessive Compulsive side on my personality. I tote these little books around with me everywhere I go like a toddler with a security blanket. It's more than safe to say that on top of using the books to sharpen my skill set, build a body of work, keep new artworks handy to show the public, these books also help me stay passified and able to compartmentalize the world around me like a high school year book.

So, I'm a sticker freak. I go to a lot of punk/metal shows and I'm always on the lookout for cool stickers of bands I like. I had a hard time putting the Septic Death sticker in my book because it came with the Crossed Out Twice discography which is most likely worth a little more with the sticker in it. I really need a "Your wife just might kill you in your sleep if you don't grow up, jerk" sticker.

There is also that rad Skullz sticker by Bobby Evil. He was the first artist I ever traded with and to this day he sent me the best package of stuff I've ever gotten.

Yeah, I still have some more...You have the classic" We're the MeatMen ... and you SUCK!" A great Triac, C.O.C. worship sticker and a really cool smoking banana by Frank Kozik. Anyone remember Pop Faction? Skeleton Witch are a great band and the coolest dudes ever that's why I got a hundred million stickers from them.

You want some more, well here you go. Overkill not the band just the concept. Yeah, that's a Common Enemy sticker upside down for no other reason that I had too much to drink one night. Sorry Bobby, thanks for all the great stuff! While I'm looking at this nerd pile all at once, I'll add that it's a good chance that Andy of UGLY LAW can name to most of these Ultra Man dudes...

I also have gotten a few autographs in some of these books. I got one from the animator Bill Plympton, best know for his 1987 short film "Your Face" He didn't really get why I wanted him to sign my book. I think his hands were a little tired.

I also got the cartoonist Doug Marlette to sign my sketch book. He did the ho-hum strip Kudzu and also won a Puliter Prize. He was a really interesting guy. I could tell he wanted me to buy one of the books he was selling and I didn't but he was cool about it and signed anyway. Doug died in a car wreck a few months after I got his autograph and it was in the same sketch book that I have the Septic Death sticker in and that means NOTHING!

Cartoon Dudes Part 1. Rabbit & Squirrel

I couldn't help but get caught up in some of the Michael Jackson death media choke hold of 2009. One talking head made the comment that all the fanatics in public mourning were a symptom of what is wrong with the world today. He went on to say that anyone that fascinated with any artist has their priorities in the wrong place. This point of view seems a bit extreme to me, but I was brain washed at an early age into beliveing that art is important to human culture. I hope to push the earth farther down the tube with these drawings. I hope you enjoy them and then you rethink your stupid little life .

Here is the first of two of the cartoon animals I have been drawing for the past few years. The first one is Doyle the rabbit. I began drawing this guy over and over again around 2003. The idea was to create a kid's comic strip, learn to use a brush pen and draw in a sketch book during my lunch breaks at work.

Doyle seems like the kind of name a little kid would call a stuffed animal, doesn't it? I don't think I really ever had a reason for drawing a rabbit. It took me about an entire sketch book of copying him to get the dude to look correct. At first he had whiskers but I got sick of drawing those after a few months.

It's been brought to my attention that I have a problem with content, and I guess the criticism is fair in the case of Doyle and his friends. There isn't really much to them except cute drawings at this point. As I got better at drawing Doyle I became less and less in love with the idea of comic strips. Comic strips are a dead sport. For proof all you need to do is check out the Sunday funnies. It's a creepy bummer if you ask me.

I could also just be spinning my wheels though...

The next one is Patton the squirrel. I see squirrels everywhere, so drawing one was a no- brainer. I also figured that it would be good idea to draw animals I see around my neighborhood. Patton is named after the comedian Patton Oswalt and the singer Mike Patton. Like Doyle the rabbit, I've drawn Patton a few thousand times over the years. It's too bad my computer couldn't handle many more images than these or the blog would have more content. It's also real pity that I never found a better use of my lunch and break time.

Squirrels are funny to me but my priorities are in the wrong place.

Next time I will introduce the Chipmunk that that ruined Western Civilization and the Meerkat who stole your youth and beauty.

The Blog Preview Post

  The good good thing is that i've got a lot of great projects in the work at this moment. It's not too many irons in the fire, it's just enough. The not so great thing is that nothing is far enough along to really have much to show for yet. I have a lot of chickens waiting to hatch. What i do have however is more sketch book drawings of cute cartoon dudes.

  So my first Preview for the "Blog Previews Post" is that, I promise to do a blog in the very near future that will name and explain some of the cartoon dude about as well as I know then myself.

   Next up for this weeks Preview Package is my pledge to post some news and picture from the up and coming film, The Taint. The Taint is a horror comedy being shot in Richmond Virginia and I am helping out and playing in the production. I spend most of today working on a death scene and I will be acting in another role tomorrow. Look out for a The Taint blog, coming soon.

  This next preview will be done without the annoying alliteration. This coming saturday night my heavy metal band Occultist will be playing it's second show. We are all very exited to be playing again and (I think) the t-shirts will be ready, on sale . I think it's going to be a good time. I have been writing here and there about the musical project in this blog but it may be time to dedicate an entire post to the dark tyrant Occultist.

  Lastly, I just returned from San Francisco this past weekend. It was my wife and I's honeymoon. (???is that how you say that???) We had a wonderful time. I don't plan on showing a bunch of happy photos of us smiling like goons yuppies from the home office in Action Wisconsin so don't worry. As you may know there is a ton of really cool art and culture going on out west. We saw as much of it as we could in our short time on vacation. Look out for a blog coming soon detailing thoughts adventures.

Sunday morning funnies

    here are some pages out of my latest sketch book. as i go on with this blog, i'll explain these characters in more detail but at the moment just try to enjoy them...

    over the past five years i've been drawing these little cartoon animals in sketch books to pass the time at work, in between illustration jobs and when i get bored. over the years they have developed and multiplied.

   i've been meaning to put together a comic book or strip with them but i've yet to get it together...one of the first reasons being is that i don't really like comic strips very much. i don't find them funny or cute. i wouldn't want to trap my dudes in an unfunny unsatisfying world.

   i have hundreds of pages of these guys, i hope you look forward to seeing more of them because they are on the way. please ask questions and make comments. thanks                                                     

Knocking down the deadlines

   I was really worried i wasn't going to finnish this one, EVER. As it turned out a little ultimatum was all i needed to get this dude done. It's going to be a t-shirt for my band, Occultist. One of the guitarists is printing them for our show on the 27th and needed them by Friday... 

a week later...

   yeah, so, it's been a week, maybe more...still need to post some pictures. (need learn how) 

   i leaned one thing this past week, i really need to make some ding-dang business cards! Here are two good examples of why.

   Thursday night went out with my old work buddy Josh and got got some drinks at Capital Ale house, as they presented "Hoperation Alpha". It was a festival celebrating "Humulus Lupulus" and featured  over 15 special editions of "intensely hopped-up drafts". If you get a burger at the Main Street location and you want it medium ask for it medium well-done or well-done, ect. My burger had it's own blog called "i'm bleeding all over your french fries". Some of Josh's friends i met over burgers and beers were working on there own line of  Stouts and IPAs and one of them was very interested in packaging. I brought along my sketch book and he seemed really impressed, really he like what he saw and our waiter, who was also an illustrator mentioned he like my work. In conclusion, the moral of the story is if ANY of us had carried business cards this bog would have a few more specifics, rather than "our waiter the illustrator" or "some dudes i met, who brew beer"  

  Saturday i went to the "FantaSci" a Sci Fi convention at the Chesapeake Central Library. I tagged along with Eric Miller, who was showing his short film "Taste of the Blood of Fankenstein" and a preview of his feature length movie "Mark of the Damned". We didn't sell much at all but we had a great time and met a lot of nice folks. The stuff happening at the Chesapeake Central Library keeps me really hopeful for the future of oddball monster/fantasy culture. Once again Eric and I failed to bring business cards of any kind so we'll have to visit Chesapeake again soon or risk being forgotten.

   In other news tonight, i have band practice, need to work on lyrics...